I'm Alyssa Stringer from Austin, TX and currently in Denton, TX! I want to share my life as a college student, writer, YoungLife leader and new believer. Writing is my absolute passion and I hope to strengthen it through out this blog!

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Dallas

The past couple of days were spent exploring the city of Dallas with my mom and sister. Our short lived family vacation came with lots of laughs, stories and discoveries and it was time well spent to say the least.

Day 1: After driving to the wrong airport and to 3 different parking lots I finally found my mom and sister. It would have been way too weird if we had an easier way to meet up with each other. We got to our hotel to unload, which was the Hyatt Regency located right next to Reunion Tower in downtown Dallas. Our suite had a beautiful view of the city and an entire dining room area connected to it. We got ready and headed to Klyde Warren Park to eat at the food trailers for an early dinner. Though the heat was taking a hard beating on us, I still enjoyed the company of the city buildings surrounding us and the catch-up conversation of the two people that mean the most to me. We walked around the park and rode the trolley, which only went around the block, before we headed back to the hotel to watch dramatic reality TV together. My mom got us snacks and wine to enjoy as we laughed and mocked the lives of the people starring in “Bachelor in Paradise.” I think we laughed until we fell asleep that night.

Day 2: I woke up around 7:45 AM and shared coffee with my mom while we chit-chatted about our separate lives. It was so strange to me to be sitting with my mom early morning in a hotel, catching her up on my endless stories that go in my life and then listening to her every day life. The woman I came home to every night, who raised me, I now have to keep her up to date with phone calls and short visits.I love it though... If I could keep those moments somehow I would go back to them every single morning. My sister woke up and the three of us got ready for our day. We found the most delicious southern breakfast place right in the middle of downtown and devoured endless amounts of carbs together. After, my mom took us to the Bank of America building to show us the 64th floor (where she use to work) and the underground city beneath the building. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I now live 40 minutes away from this city that holds so much adventure. After breakfast we headed to the Dallas Zoo. We spent the entire day walking around admiring the animals and our company. I had no idea that going to the zoo would be so much fun! The three of us girls can find the “funny” in just about anything so even as the day got hotter and our attitudes grew cranky, we still laughed at ourselves. That’s the best part about being with my mom and sister… We are all one big mess but being messy together makes life more enjoyable. After feeding giraffes, playing with monkeys and watching a dinosaur puppet show (of course Mollie’s idea), we grabbed an early dinner and headed back to the hotel.

“Night two of the dramatic premiere of this season’s Bachelor in Paradise.” Oh yes, that’s right, another night of drama. What are the odds that we plan a two night vacation together on both the nights our favorite reality TV show is premiering? We are THAT kind of family. After the show ended we went over to Reunion Tower. It was about 9PM and we were on top of the city. The lights sparkled through the dark of the night and we watched the city buzz below us. It was beautiful and I felt so lucky to be living in such a beautiful city. We took lots of pictures and explored all the tourist-y things the tower had to offer. We went back to our hotel and watched TV, drank wine and ate chocolate together quietly. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy such relaxing time if I had a huge family with a bunch of boys in it. It makes me appreciate my small, happy family.

Day 3:

We packed our things and got ready for our departure. Before we split my mom drove us around the neighborhood she lived in when she was in her early 20s. She showed us the house her and my dad lived in before they got married and all the cool hangouts back then. I was grumpy and in a bad mood while we were driving around but it was cool to see how my mom’s life, when she was about my age, is 40 minutes down the street from where my life is today. I created a bad mood for myself because I think I wasn’t ready to be apart from them again. I love living life here and getting to see them every once in a while but it hit me on this trip that this is it! Our tight knit trio is now only together on visits and holidays and I live a busy separate life from them. The travel bug in me wanted to plan trips everywhere with them. On my drive back to Denton I kept thinking of us three cuddled up in hotels in Australia, Spain, California, New York… Just living life together before we split. God has given me a special gift with my mom and sister. I know our lives are separate but we always find a way back to each other, laughing and joking about the same things. Praise the Lord for endless family blessings!